Reviews written by registered userjan_ulalume

21 out of 35 people found the following review useful:Fine ingredients, but the cake is badly baked, 14 February 2011

Leaving viewers in the dark about the true inclination of a piece is
commonplace in Art Cinema. I do agree that most mainstream films now
are over explained and blatant with whatever plot device is being
utilised. However, while i think it's good for the viewer to give a
little of themselves to work at understanding a director's vision this
was a little much.

The visuals are beautiful. Some of the little touches exquisite (the
way the teenage Ana hypnotically chews on a strand of her hair was
simultaneously abhorrent and alluring) I'm sure there is an intricate
back-story here with allusions to Sigmund Freud etc (from what i've
heard there is a portrait of him in the house, however i didn't see it)
but i'm not hugely interested in discovering what it is. A little
explanation can make all the difference. Some connection with the
audience would have helped this piece along.

In the end, the plot made little difference. Its slightness WAS the
film for me. I enjoyed the inspired jump-cuts and the obsession with
body hair and sexual gratification. I was amused and disturbed. That's
fine. But the film used these devices to the point of saturation.
Overkill. Egotism.

I may be missing the point here, so be it. This film stands well as a
piece of visual art. The vivid blue Mediterranean, the dark haired
women, the gorgeous cinematography in general. But it is missing
something as a film and thus with narrative. It would have worked FAR
better as a short 15 minute piece.I would like to say i'd re-watch this
and get to grips with what the director is trying to say, but that
would be a lie. Certainly this film is nothing like the Giallo films of
Fulci and Argento that i have seen so far in my admittedly limited
viewing.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:A roughly hewn low budget British gem, 15 May 2010

This low budget film is an interesting curio and although i look upon
it with a certain sentimentality, i believe it has additional merit. I
saw it as a child of around 4 and it left a big impression. Of course,
the children (and teenagers) are the focal point of the film and the
lead is a doe-eyed waif who gives a very decent, if slightly stilted
performance. The acting on the most part is pretty good for a film of
this type. The plot is straightforward but a little vague, however,
together with the locations and sub story, a great sense of foreboding
and isolation is produced and this is what, as a child, i locked unto
and now being very much older i can still connect with.

The special effects are pretty bog standard but they frightened me
years ago and there is still something stark and primitive about them
(as though they knew what they had wasn't up to much so they made their
use of it as condensed and pure as possible without unnecessary
flair)and the depiction of the films ghouls.

If you can handle the problems associated with a low budget production
this film is highly recommended and although i award it 7 out of ten to
be pedantic in relation to the nature of this site it's a 10 out of 10
in my heart.